BT secures £350m contract to enhance public sector wifi
BT has secured a £350 million contract to become the only provider to deliver public sector connectivity across Scotland.
The Scottish Wide Area Network (Swan) contract was awarded by the NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The six-year contract will allow for better communication, data sharing and collaboration across more than 6,000 sites, including 94 public sector organisations.
It will enable staff to save time including seeing patients remotely by clinicians rather than having to travel long distances across islands.
The contract will support public health services, reduce costs and increase the efficiency of connected organisations.
Alan Lees, director for business, BT in Scotland, said BT is committed to “playing its part” in helping to deliver public sector services for people across Scotland.
He said: “BT is proud to become the sole provider of next generation connectivity services to the Scottish public sector via the Swan framework.
“We strongly believe in the difference that highly resilient and secure connectivity can make to the delivery of public services in Scotland and with our expertise and investment we can accelerate the digital transformation of services to the public.
“This contract will see us deliver a cost-effective and innovative communications framework, which will benefit public sector employees, citizens and services in ways that we have not seen before. We have access to the largest next generation networks.”
Health Secretary Michael Matheson added: “This major investment from the Scottish Government, and our public sector partners, will make sure that staff across our public services have access to rapid and reliable connections with a greater capacity and bandwidth.
“The Swan programme will drive benefits for communities across Scotland, making sure that no one is left behind and can access the benefits of technology.”
Among the places to benefit from the improved connectivity is the Scottish National Scotland Blood Transfusion Service HQ at the Jack Copland Centre, on the Heriot Watt University campus, Edinburgh.